A Bill of Rights for Children of Incarcerated Parents

Websites

A community based, non-profit organization in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, whose mission is to embrace the children of incarcerated parents and empower them to break the cycle of intergenerational involvement in the criminal justice system.

Family Services helps formerly incarcerated parents establish or re-establish relationships with their children, end their dependence on governmental benefits, and successfully reintegrate into their communities.

Osborne’s family-centered approach recognizes the central role of family and social networks in reaching the desired outcomes of all its programs. Offers numerous services to families, several of which follow below.

Provides critical support and assistance, seldom available elsewhere, to help people cope with the often traumatic changes that occur when a loved one is incarcerated, including negotiating the intricacies of the criminal justice system, maintaining contact with an incarcerated person, and addressing the challenges that occur during the period of reentry.

Helps children with a currently or formerly incarcerated parent to overcome stigma and isolation by offering a non-judgmental, child-friendly environment, along with support, various services, and resources tailored to these children's unique needs and perspectives.

Offers targeted services to women affected by the incarceration of their intimate partners or their children, and women who are caring for children with an incarcerated parent. Women are able to find peer support, receive therapeutic counselling, and reduce their stress and isolation.

Policy Reports, Studies & Fact Sheets

The United States leads the world in rates of incarceration, with one in every 100 American adults residing in jail or prison. Sixty-three percent of federal prisoners and fifty-five percent of state prisoners are parents of children under 18. This fact sheet examines the effect that having an incarcerated parent has on a child and provides recommendations for reforms.